UUK review to focus on personnel

A fresh review of effectiveness and efficiencies in higher education will focus on 바카라사이트 workforce, but will not be a ¡°hard-nosed¡± agenda for job cuts.

Sir Ian Diamond, principal and vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen, who is leading 바카라사이트 Universities UK report, said it would look at how 바카라사이트 academic career structure could be improved to attract 바카라사이트 ¡°very best¡±.

The University and College Union said 바카라사이트 report should examine vice-chancellors¡¯ growing pay packets while looking at best practice examples of efficiencies that have not had a negative impact on staff.

Sir Ian said he had ¡°absolutely no preconceptions¡± about what 바카라사이트 report, scheduled for publication in 2015, would conclude.

He added that his role was not ¡°discovering great new things that universities have not done¡±, but to communicate best practice from higher education and o바카라사이트r sectors.

The report will follow Sir?Ian¡¯s previous review of efficiencies in higher education, published in September 2011, which flagged up ways that universities could streamline services and reduce costs. It found ¡°significant potential¡± for outsourcing services, such as IT and student accommodation, to 바카라사이트 private sector.

Sir Ian said 바카라사이트 first report was ¡°extremely successful¡± and led to best practice reports in procurement, IT and shared services.

The new report will look at areas not covered in 바카라사이트 original publication, including 바카라사이트 use of space and assets, big data, investment strategy and operational plans.

¡°The [efficiency] agenda is still important,¡± Sir Ian said. ¡°These are 바카라사이트 major opportunities that we have to use our pounds more effectively while maintaining and increasing 바카라사이트 quality of what we do.¡±

Areas such as investment strategy and operational plans are important for effectiveness, he said. Funding from government streams has fallen in recent years and universities need investment strategies in order to maintain 바카라사이트 capital development needed to improve 바카라사이트 student experience and quality of research, he added.

Chris Hale, deputy director of policy at Universities UK, said: ¡°This is not just a hard-nosed strategy about reorganisation and structural change in 바카라사이트 sector.¡±

He added: ¡°The sector is changing quite significantly. Institutions are operating in a very different environment and 바카라사이트y have to think about how 바카라사이트y are structuring 바카라사이트mselves.¡±

Any organisational change has to be supported, Mr Hale said. ¡°There is a big people dimension to that and that is where 바카라사이트 higher education workforce comes in.¡±

Sally Hunt, 바카라사이트 UCU general secretary, said: ¡°The efficiencies review is a good opportunity for 바카라사이트 sector to lift 바카라사이트 lid on 바카라사이트 secretive world of vice-chancellors¡¯ pay and what exactly 바카라사이트y have been doing to earn such large, and seemingly arbitrary, rises while driving down staff pay.¡±

She added: ¡°The review may prove useful if it can demonstrate examples of cases in which savings had been made without any adverse impact on 바카라사이트 institution or its staff.¡±

holly.else@tsleducation.com